1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article layout device for automatic layout of column text to be used in word processors, desktop publishing systems or newspaper/magazine editing systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
An article layout device is used to improve the operability of word processors and desktop publishing systems for layout of column text. Conventional article layout devices of this type include those disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Print (Kokai) No. Heisei 3-176148 "Document Layout Editing Device", Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Print (Kokai) No. Heisei 4-263357 "Information Processor", Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Print (Kokai) No. Heisei 5-61871 "Automatic Complicated Document Processor" and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Print (Kokai) No. Heisei 4-70956 "Document Processor". These conventional examples will be described below.
According to the first conventional method, an article layout device disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Print (Kokai) No. Heisei 3-176148 "Document Layout Editing Device" comprises a frame display means to allocate the document component data specified by the user and an allocation means to allocate the data so that the areas corresponding to the frames do not overlap any existing areas in response to the allocation execution instruction from the user and is thus capable of document column control by easy operation.
FIGS. 21 to 25 show examples of the display screen when the article layout device disclosed in the above laid-open print executes the article layout processing. Described below is the procedure to lay out a new area #1 to the space already having the area #0 as shown in FIG. 21. For this, as shown in FIG. 22, a temporary frame (expressed with bold lines) 601 is displayed so that the user moves it to determine the layout position. Then, as shown in FIG. 23, the newly set area #1 is deformed so as to avoid the already laid out area #0. FIGS. 24 and 25 show the display screens when further setting an area #2 to the space as shown in FIG. 23.
According to the second conventional method, an article layout device as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Print (Kokai) No. Heisei 4-263357 "Information Processor" comprises a layout means to change the size of the areas to lay out the document component data on the screen according to the layout situation of the applicable areas. The layout means keeps the total balance by, when the master area size is changed, changing the slave area size corresponding to the master area size after such change, according to the master-slave relation set between the areas.
FIG. 26 illustrates the operation of article layout processing by an article layout device disclosed in the above laid-open print. The areas "b" and "d" in the figure have the master-slave relation. Suppose, as shown in FIG. 26 (A), the amount of text supplied to the area "b" is small for the applicable area size and represents about 60% of allocation ratio. In this case, the layout means automatically adjusts or reduces the size of the area "b" in order for a proper allocation ratio. At the same time, the layout means automatically enlarges the area "d" serving as the slave of the area "b" within the proper allocation ratio range as shown in FIG. 26 (B).
According to the third conventional method, an article layout device disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Print (Kokai) No. Heisei 5-61871 "Automatic Complicated Document Processor" comprises an actual data storage to store the actual data of the document components, a format data storage to store the format data such as the document size to be made and the layout positions and sizes of the actual data, and an association data storage to store the association data to show the adaptability and association between the actual data and the format data. It extracts the actual data adaptable to the format data according to the format data and the association data and lays out the actual data according to such format data.
FIG. 27 is a flowchart to illustrate the operation of article layout processing by an article layout device as disclosed in the above laid-open print. Referring to the figure, the device extracts the actual data adaptable to the format data according to the format data and the association data at Step 2703. At Step 2704, it prepares a complicated document according to the extracted format and actual data.
According to the fourth conventional method, an article layout device disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Print (Kokai) No. Heisei 4-70956 "Document Processor" comprises an adjustment means to adjust the character pitch and the character size. The adjustment means adjusts the character pitch and character size according to the distance from the initial character position to the line end position for the final character in a certain line. Thus, the processor lays out the characters so that the width of the frame for character layout is almost filled with the string.
FIG. 28 illustrates examples of display screens when an article layout device disclosed in the above laid-open print executes the article layout processing. In (A) to (F) of FIG. 28, the left display screen shows the status before the layout processing execution and the right display screen shows the status after the layout processing execution. The left display screen of FIG. 28 (A) shows the status where a string 612 is simply input to a character developing frame 611 for document layout. In the right display screen of FIG. 28 (A), the string from the initial character "A" to the final character "G" is converted to an enlarged string 613. Thus, the characters are arranged so that they almost fill the width of the character developing frame 611.
In FIG. 28 (B), the string 612 is converted into another string 614 with a different pitch between characters. Thus, the characters are arranged so that they almost fill the character developing frame 611.
In FIG. 28 (C), the characters in the string 612 are changed to have an increased width (without changing their height) so that a string 615 after such change has the characters arranged to almost fill the character developing frame 611.
In (D) to (F) of FIG. 28, a string 616 with two lines is input to the character developing frame 611. In FIG. 28 (D), the character pitch is reduced without changing the size of the individual characters so that a string 617 after conversion has the characters arranged to almost fill the character developing frame 611.
In FIG. 28 (E), a range "L" is specified in the character developing frame 611. By converting the characters in the specified range "L" among those in a string 618 into smaller size characters (String 620), the device arranges the characters so that the entire string almost fills the character developing frame 611.
In FIG. 28 (F), a range "L" is specified in the character developing frame 611. By converting the characters in the specified range "L" among those in a string 621 into larger size characters, a string 622 after conversion has the characters arranged to almost fill the character developing frame 611.
According to the prior art as described above, the size and position of the frames to lay out the document component data can be relatively easily determined by using the first to the third conventional methods properly. By combining the first to third conventional methods and the fourth conventional method, strings can be finely laid out in a frame.
However, these conventional article layout devices have the following drawbacks.
Firstly, they require manual operation for execution of the article layout processing. Certainly, the article layout processing can be executed with easy operation by properly combining some conventional methods. However, such methods contain interactive procedures for active frame selection and transfer or deformation of the selected frame. Thus, they require troublesome manual operation to adjust the position, size or shape of frames in the article layout processing as shown for the first conventional method.
Secondly, the shape and size of the area occupied by the article data are generally unknown while the available shape and size ranges for the frames to accommodate the supplied article data are fixed. It is quite difficult to observe the specified number of pages or to lay out all of the supplied articles when the number of printed pages and/or the sheet size are restricted as the layout condition. For example, the second conventional method aims at layout of all article data and the third conventional method aims at layout of all format data. They do not have any process to observe the predetermined restrictions including the number of printed pages or paper size. In particular, the third conventional method does not have any mechanism to adjust the frame size. Though the second conventional method has a limited size adjustment mechanism, considering the current difficulty in automatic text summarization according to the predetermined amount, the article data can be packed according to the size and shape of the frames only in a quite limited range even using the forth conventional method at the same time.
Thirdly, they have only a poor adjustment function for article layout areas set on the article space, and it is difficult to flexibly lay out the areas according to the request from the user. In other words, it is likely to leave an empty area in the article space in certain cases. They cannot adjust the area positions, and they can adjust the area size only between the associated areas. Even when using the second conventional method, which is the only method with a frame thickness adjustment function, it is likely to leave worthless empty areas in automatic layout. This is because the above method does not have a frame position adjustment function. Since the frame sizes can be adjusted only when the areas are in the master-slave relation, they can be adjusted effectively only in a few cases.